


Irondad Bingo 2019

by MelodicRunes



Series: Irondad Bingo 2019 [1]
Category: Iron Man (Movies), Spider-Man - All Media Types, Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017), The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers - Ambiguous Fandom
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Awesome Pepper Potts, BAMF Pepper Potts, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Irondad Bingo 2019, No Beta, Parent Pepper Potts, Parent Tony Stark, Peter Parker Needs a Hug, Precious Peter Parker, Prompt Fic, Protective Pepper Potts, Protective Peter Parker, Tony Stark Acting as Peter Parker's Parental Figure, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Tumblr Prompt, We Die Like Men
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-05
Updated: 2019-05-13
Packaged: 2020-02-26 02:25:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,600
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18714616
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MelodicRunes/pseuds/MelodicRunes
Summary: Prompt fill for whump: gunshot.Tony goes away on a business trip and bad things happen at the tower. Peter and Pepper are attacked and someone ends up shot.





	1. Gunshot

**Author's Note:**

> Here's my first irondad bingo prompt fill!
> 
> Yes, I am currently writing another chapter for "A Stark Contrast" but it's hard post-Endgame. I needed some angst and fluff to kickstart the writing again. Anyway, hope you enjoy!
> 
> I own nothing and this was written in about two hours. No beta.

“Stop worrying, Tony. We’ll be fine,” Pepper called with a roll of her eyes. 

 

“Worrying? I’m not worrying. I’m...showing my love for my new wife,” Tony responded coyly as he dropped another pair of socks in his suitcase. 

 

Pepper smirked at him, then kissed the edge of his mouth. “Your new wife is fine, as is your son... _ our _ son. That’s still taking some time to get used to.” 

 

Now it was Tony’s turn to smirk. “Yeah, he kinda grows on you, doesn’t he? Little parasite.” The father chuckled fondly. 

 

“Peter is not a parasite,” Pepper huffed with exasperation. “Go or the plane will leave without you!” 

 

“Um. How can it leave without me? It’s my plane; it literally has my name on it.” 

 

Pepper rolled her eyes again and shoved him toward the bedroom door. “Just  _ go _ already! You’ll only be gone a few days! It’s not like you haven’t been away on business before.” 

 

Tony sighed. “I know; you’re right. I just…” He trailed off and dropped his head on her shoulder. 

 

“You just what,” she whispered. 

 

“I just want to keep you safe, both of you.” 

 

She lightly kissed his cheek. “I know, and it’s one of the things I love best about you. But we’ve got FRIDAY, we’ve got Happy, and Peter is Spider-Man. If anything happens, and the likelihood of something happening is very,  _ very _ slim, the team is just a short ride away at the compound. We’ll be fine.” 

 

Tony sighed and kissed his wife one last time. “You’re right. You’re you; you’re always right. You’ll be fine. Everything will be...just...fine…” 

 

“See? Now get your ass on that plane to DC  _ or else _ !” 

 

“Yes, ma’am. Right away, Mrs. CEO, ma’am.” 

 

Pepper threw a pillow at his retreating back and he chuckled when it missed. 

 

~~~~~~~~~~

 

Later that evening, Pepper and Peter were in their comfiest pajamas curled up on the couch. Popcorn sat in bowls on the coffee table and FRIDAY had a long list of movies queued up for their weekend marathon. But first, they had to video chat with Tony. 

 

“Hey, Dad,” Peter called. He waved when Tony appeared on the TV screen. 

 

Tony’s face lit up as he waved back. “Hey, kiddo! How was school?” 

 

“Ugh. Boring.” The teen rolled his eyes. “Can’t wait till you get home so we can get back in the workshop.” 

 

“Yeah? You come up with anymore new ideas in chem class?” 

 

“Actually, I had this one thing I wanted to try-” 

 

“It was a joke, Pete. You should at least  _ try _ to pay attention during class. There. I’ve met my parenting quota for the night.” 

 

“Hey! It was a good idea! And it was chemistry related so it counts!” 

 

Pepper smiled and ruffled his curls. Peter looked up at her fondly from his seat on the floor. Tony longed to be with them, but he did his best not to show it. 

 

“So what’s on the queue for tonight’s marathon,” Tony asked as a way of distraction. 

 

“It’s a Nicholas Sparks marathon. Pepper’s choice.” 

 

“What? Pep! You can’t corrupt the kid with such trash!” 

 

She swatted the boy with a throw pillow. “He’s lying to you, Tony. It’s a Lord of the Rings marathon, which we need to start soon or we’ll never finish by the time you get home.” 

 

“Oh, that’s true. Bye, Dad! See you when you get home!” 

 

Peter and Pepper said their goodbyes and ended the video call. T

 

hey were in the middle of “One cannot simply walk into Mordor” when it happened. The tv flickered a few times and the screen went blank. The lights followed suit, as did the air conditioner. Peter’s head cocked to the side as he listened for the backup generators to come to life, but they never did. He sat up straighter and listened intently to see what was going happening on the floors below. 

 

“Peter,” Pepper question, but he waved her into silence. 

“I hear footsteps. Someone’s coming.” 

 

“What? What do you mean someone’s coming? Who could be coming?  _ How?”  _

 

Peter’s spidey sense flared to life. His eyes darted between Pepper and the door to the workshop where his suit was kept. He chose Pepper and jumped to cover her as an explosion rocked the elevator. She screamed as he landed on top of her, pushing her out of the way of whoever was climbing up the elevator shaft. 

 

“Shh,” he whispered, heart beating in his throat. “We gotta...we gotta m-move quickly.” 

 

She nodded and he pulled her behind the couch with him. They sat with their backs to the end of the couch, both trying to catch their breath. Peter turned to his StarkWatch as Pepper grabbed her phone out of her pocket.

 

“There’s no signal,” she whispered. 

 

“Figures. No FRIDAY, either. I can reset the system from the workshop. It’s the safest place in the building anyway.” 

 

They both stopped breathing as they heard several pairs of footsteps land on the pristine hardwood floor. Whoever was here had made it up the elevator shaft. Peter listened for the number of heartbeats in the room, counting out his and Pepper’s. Four extra heartbeats in the building; two extra people in the living room with them. 

 

“Split up. Find them and bring them back here.” 

 

A grunt and a cocked gun respond. Peter holds his breath as the footsteps approach their end of the couch. He can see the door to the stairs that lead to the workshop from his position. He eyes Pepper and motions toward the door. She doesn’t respond, but follows him with her eyes. They stay motionless as one intruder split off toward the kitchen and offices; the other slowly made his way past the breakfast bar to the living room. Pepper grabbed Peter’s hand when the intruder stepped past the couch. 

 

And kept going. 

 

He never looked down, and without the power, the room was in left in an inky blackness. He couldn’t see them. 

 

Peter waited as the intruder continued down the hallway toward the bedrooms. When he was a reasonable distance from them, Peter pointed toward the workshop door. Pepper nodded and  slowly moved into a crouched position. Peter followed, but kept his eyes on the guy down the hall. Peter turned when he heard a loud screeching noise. 

 

He had bumped into the side table. They both watched in horror as he tried to keep the lamp from falling, but it was too late. The porcelain shattered to the floor alerting the intruders to their position. 

 

“Run,” Peter shouted and shove Pepper in front of him. 

 

The footsteps hurried down the hall. The gun cocked. 

 

“Workshop! Access code: 529517,” Peter whispered in Pepper’s ear. Then he shoved her through the door and slammed it closed behind her. He turned to face the intruder as the gun fired. 

 

Peter gasped as a bullet ripped through his abdomen. He stumbled backward and fell against the door. Time seemed to stop as the pain began to spread. He couldn’t hear the intruder yelling at him, demanding to know where Pepper was. He couldn’t feel the hot metal of the gun against his temple. He didn’t see the shock on the guy’s face as the lights flickered on and FRIDAY came to life. He wouldn’t even remember Pepper thundering back up the steps to the living room, Iron Man gauntlet on her hand. She quickly blasted the two intruders to kingdom come, then tossed the gauntlet to the side. 

 

He did recognize Pepper’s face as she knelt beside him and gently brushed his hair out of his eyes. “Peter! Peter, stay with me! He’s on the way! Everyone’s on the way!” 

 

Peter looked up at her out of blurry eyes. “D-dad,” he coughed. 

 

“Yes! Dad’s on the way, sweetie! Dad’s coming!” 

 

His vision went black around the edges and he lost consciousness. 

 

~~~~~~~~~~

 

The next thing Peter knew, someone was trying to rip out his stomach. At least, that’s what it felt like. He screamed and thrashed, knocking down a few nurses in the process. 

 

“Get some restrains! Where’s Cap? We need him in here,” a doctor shouted from above Peter. 

 

“No! N-no, no,” he sobbed. His body felt like it was on fire. He felt every molecule of every atom of every cell, and they all screamed with him. The sheets on the bed were overstimulating. The harsh, bright lights of the operating room were going to blind him. He writhed in pain, but that hurt even more because it pulled on his nearly closed wound. He cried out in pain again. 

 

Hands tried to restrain him, but he thrashed against them even harder than before. 

“What’s Tony’s ETA,” someone called in a panic. 

 

“D-dad,” he gasped, sticky tears making their way down his cheeks and into his matted hair. “Da-ad!” 

 

“He’s coming, Peter! He’s on his way,” a nurse tried a soothing voice, but it sounded more panicked than anything else. 

 

“How far away,” the doctor demanded. 

 

“Boss is five minutes away,” FRIDAY answered. 

 

“I don’t know if we can hold him that long!” 

 

“Where’s Rogers?!” 

 

“With the assailants!” 

 

“Well get him up  _ here _ ! Tell him it’s an emergency!” 

 

Someone clamped down on his abdomen and his flailed his arms in response. His hand connected with flesh and someone else cried out for a change. 

 

“Ugh! He broke my nose!” 

 

“Peter! Peter, can you hear me? I need you to calm down for me. Can you do that,” the doctor called through his fog. 

 

“Dad,” he wailed. “T’ny!” 

 

“He’s here! He’s here, Peter! He’s right here!” 

 

Peter sobbed as familiar footsteps pounded into the room. 

 

“Peter,” Tony called. 

 

Peter reached out blindly toward the soothing voice. In his pain and confusion, he attempted to say ‘Dad’ and ‘Tony’ at the same time. What came out was, something he’d never said before, not to Tony or Ben. He probably used this word with his biological dad, but he’d been too young to remember. 

 

“Daddy,” he sobbed and Tony’s heart nearly stopped. 

 

“Under normal circumstances, we’d ask you to leave, Mr. Stark. However, he won’t let us touch him to get the bullet out of his gut. If you can calm him, you can stay.” 

 

Tony stood at the head of the operating table and ran his hands through Peter’s sweaty curls. 

 

“Shh,” he said as he pressed a kiss to Peter’s forehead. “Did you hear that, kiddo? I need you to calm down so the doctors can fix you up. Can you do that?” 

 

Peter coughed out another sob in response. 

 

Tony activated the gauntlets and held both of Peter’s hands above the kid’s head. “Hold my hands, ok? I’m right here. You did good, kiddo. I’m so proud of you.” He pressed another kiss to Peter’s brow and the cries slowed. 

 

The doctor sighed in relief. “Thank heaven. He burnt through the anesthesia faster than we thought and woke up as we were cutting him open.” 

 

“Can you up his dosage,” Tony asked as Peter clenched his eyes shut tighter in pain. 

 

“I’ve just refilled his IV bag. It should take effect any second now.” 

 

Peter was limp before the doctor finished talking. Tony loosened his hold on the kid’s hands so he could retract the gauntlets. 

 

“I think you should stay in case he wakes up again.” 

 

“I’m not going anywhere,” Tony said. He settled into a chair, his hand still threaded into his kid’s hair, and watched Peter sleep. 

 

He’d called Tony ‘Daddy’. 

  
_ Huh.  _ He kind of liked being a Daddy.  


	2. Trope: Jealousy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony and Pepper announce they're going to have a baby and adopted Peter doesn't handle it so well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to @sammyella for the prompt! 
> 
> “You’ll always be my Spiderbaby.”
> 
> Or
> 
> Peter finds out Pepper’s pregnant and is so happy for Tony. He tries to lock away his ugly jealously that he knows doesn’t deserve to feel, but Tony senses something is wrong. He always does.

Tony, Pepper, and Peter were just sitting down to dinner. It was the first time in a while all three of them had been in the same room long enough for something as mundane as a meal. Peter glanced up over his glass of water and smiled to himself. He couldn’t believe how lucky he was. Iron Man had adopted him almost two years ago, and then he got another mom in Pepper when she and Tony got married. He was a part-time Avenger and lived in the tower with them all. What sixteen-year-old got to say the Avengers were his family?

 

 _I do_ , Peter thought as he smiled over at his Dad. Maybe his Parker Luck had finally changed. Maybe he had Stark Luck now.

 

“Whatcha thinkin’ about, kiddo,” the man asked.

 

“Oh,” Peter answered quickly as his cheeks tinged with pink. “N-nothing much. Not really.”

 

“Well whatever it was, it had you happy.”

 

“I am. I am happy. I’m really happy, Dad, the happiest I’ve been in a long time.”

 

“Good. I’m glad, Pete. You deserve to be happy,” Tony said with a side smile. Peter watched as his Dad’s hand snaked across the table to grab Pepper’s. Tony’s smile grew even wider if that was possible. “We have something to tell you, something that we hope will add to your happiness.”

 

Peter paused in his eating to look at up them more closely. Pepper was radiant. She was practically _beaming_.

 

“Peter,” she said softly. “We’re going to have a baby.”

 

Peter froze, his fork in mid-air on it’s way to his mouth. “W-what? Really?!”

 

“Yeah! Really! A little bundle of joy to chase around the tower,” Tony exclaimed.

 

 _A bundle of_ **_joy_ ** _? A...a..._ **_baby_ ** _? A real Stark. An official Stark baby. A true heir. Dad won’t need me anymore_.

 

And with that thought, Peter shook himself and pasted a smile on his face. It didn’t matter what Tony had said earlier, _Tony_ deserved to be happy, deserved _this_ , his own _real_ kid.

 

“P-pepper, that’s great! Amazing! H-how long?”

 

“About 14 weeks,” she answered with a smile.

 

“T-that’s...wow! Th-that’s amazing!” He sat quietly for the rest of the meal as he listened to Tony and Pepper discuss all things baby, Tony rambling on about all the baby-proofing he had to do to the lab.

 

~~~~~~~~~~

Several weeks later found Peter accompanying Tony and Pepper as they registered for the upcoming baby shower.

 

“Whaddya say, Pete? Think Mini Stark will want this small socket set?”

 

 _I need a new socket set_ , Peter thought and was immediately ashamed. Thankfully, Pepper answered for him.

 

“No, Tony, you cannot get our daughter _tools_.”

 

“It’s a girl,” Peter asked, curiously. “When did you find out?”

 

“We haven’t yet. She’s just speculating. Personally, I’m hoping for a boy. Little Anthony Jr.” Tony beamed with pride.

 

Peter felt something inside him die a little.

 

_A son? He wants a...a son?_

 

 _Of_ **_course_ ** _, he wants a son. I’m not his_ **_real_ ** _son, not a_ **_real_ ** _Stark. No amount of paperwork will make that true._

 

“Hey, Pete? What’s up?”

 

Peter saw the concern in Tony’s ( _Yeah, I should definitely stop calling him_ **_Dad_ ** _, now_ ) eyes and quickly changed the subject.

 

“Nothing. So what’s for dinner? I’m starved, what with the enhanced metabolism and all.”

 

Tony gave him a curious look, one that told Peter the man didn’t fully believe him but left for dinner anyway.

 

If Peter thought shopping for the new baby was bad, the baby shower was worse. So many people were crowded into their penthouse living room that he felt like a sardine in a can. The button-up and sweater that had been laid out for him to wear didn’t help the situation, either. He kept pulling at the collar hoping it would stretch and he would be able to breathe easier. He snuck out onto the terrace, a cold soda in his hand. It’s not like anyone would notice if he left; they were all enamored with Pepper, who was even more beautiful now that she was seven months pregnant.

 

 _As they should be_ , he told himself. _No reason at all for anyone to notice poor little Peter Parker…_

 

He stopped short. His last name hadn’t been Parker for a while now. But if he was honest with himself, he definitely didn’t feel like a Stark. Not now that a **_real_** Stark was on the way. The baby - a girl, they had found out a little while back - would come into the world in six short weeks and blow everyone away. Because she would be a Stark. A **real** one. Not someone in a Stark Industries mask and suit.

 

_Speaking of suits…_

 

He’d been out on the terrace for a while now, and nobody had come looking for him. It had also been well over half an hour since the last guest tried to talk to him. He looked down at his StarkWatch, specially made with Spider-Man upgrades which included Karen.

 

“Hey, Karen,” he asked, a grin sneaking onto his face.

 

“Good evening, Peter. How’s the party?”

 

“Boring. Got anything good for me?”

 

“Scanning now.”

 

“Send anything interesting to the suit. I’ll be there shortly.”

 

“As you wish, Peter. Uploading now.”

 

Peter crept back into the living room, but it wasn’t necessary. Nobody saw him re-enter; they were all focused on Pepper as she opened the gifts.

 

“What a precious little dress! Thank you, Angie,” Pepper exclaimed as Peter made his way down the hall towards his room.

 

He quickly changed out of the suffocating button-up and into the spidey suit. Before he could pull the mask over his face, FRIDAY interrupted him.

 

“Good evening, Peter. I see that you are preparing to leave. Should I alert Boss to the situation?”

 

“Oh, uh, n-no, that’s ok, FRIDAY. It’s nothing big. Just some small-time jewelry thieves,” he lied. “Not a job for Iron Man.”

 

The AI thought for a moment if AIs could do that. “Hmm. Alright. If you insist.”

 

“It’s fine. I’ll be fine. Honest. No need to tell Da- T-Tony. No need to tell Tony. I’ll be back soon.”

 

He shoved his mask on and jumped out his bedroom window before FRIDAY could answer him.

 

“Hello again, Peter,” Karen greeted in her sing-song voice.

 

“Tell me you’ve got something good.”

 

“There’s a mugging down 94th.”

 

“That’s not very nice. Let’s go see if anyone needs Spider-Man’s help.”

 

“Of course, Peter.” Karen displayed the coordinates on his Heads-Up Display and he took off swinging through New York.

 

It took him a few minutes to get to Queens from the tower, and by the time he’d arrived, the mugger had moved on. “Any sign of him in traffic cameras, Karen?”

 

“Scanning. Here he is. He’s just a few blocks down and he’s got a young lady cornered.”

 

“On it!”

 

Peter quickly webbed his way to the mugger and saw that Karen was right. Some guy in a black ski mask (how original) had a lady shoved up against the building demanding her purse. Peter landed behind the mugger in a crouch.

 

“Hey, guys! Lovely weather we’re having tonight!”

 

The mugger turned in surprise and ran into Peter’s fist.

 

“It’s not nice to take things that don’t belong to you, y’know,” he quipped as the mugger reared back to punch Peter in return.

 

Peter easily dodged the mugger’s fist and punched him in the stomach several times. The guy doubled over in pain and stumbled to his knees, momentarily occupied. Peter rushed to the scared woman.

 

“Hey, miss, are you alright? Did he hurt you?”

 

Her hair was a mess, tears streaked down her face, but she shook her head no.

 

“You sure? I can take you to the hospital if you want-”

 

“Look out,” she shouted at the same time his spidey sense blared to life.

 

Peter shoved her to the ground and turned to face the mugger guy. He had a knife pointed at Peter’s chest.

 

“Aww, man. Come on. That’s just not cool. Don’t you know you aren’t supposed to run with scissors? Here, let me hold that for you.” He shot out a web to grab the knife from the guy, but in his adrenaline rush, he missed.

 

The mugger guy ran at him, knife still held out. Peter grabbed the man’s wrists and they tumbled to the ground together, rolling and thrashing in the filthy Queens alleyway. Peter felt a sharp stab to his shoulder and he let out a gasp of pain. He kicked the guy in the chest _hard_ slamming him into the opposite building. The mugger laid on his side, unconscious. Peter rolled on his back and cradled his left shoulder with his good hand. He whimpered as the movement shot a fire of agony down his arm.

 

“Peter, you’ve been injured and are losing blood at an alarming rate. Activating Helicopter Parent Protocol. Calling Tony Stark.”

 

“Ugh! No, wait! Don’t-”

 

“Peter!” Tony sounded pissed. Really pissed. “I swear kid, if you’re laying in some alleyway bleeding into the suit, you’re grounded!”

 

“Ugh...so is that one week or two?” Peter tried to laugh but it came out as a dry sob instead.

 

“Pete! Hold on! I’m three minutes out!” Tony’s tone had completely changed. He must’ve gotten an update from Karen.

 

“Hngh...h’rts!”

 

“I know, kiddo! I know. Keep talking for me. Almost there! Tell me, tell me about the fight. How was it?”

 

“Oh man, it was so awesome, Tony! I had him! I had him good! Until I uh...got stabbed...but before that! I did one of those one-two combinations Nat showed me and it worked!”

 

The Iron Man suit landed nearby and Tony’s face appeared in his line of vision. Gentle hands pried the mask off his face to reveal his wet cheeks.

 

“Hey, Bambi. Long time no see.”

 

Peter gave him a lopsided grin before he winced in pain. “If I say it’s not that bad, can I only be grounded for a little while?”

 

“You always say it’s not that bad, which is always a lie. Come on, let’s get you to Dr. Cho so she can patch up my spiderbaby.”

 

“‘M not a baby,” Peter mumbled as he felt himself be lifted and cradled against Iron Man’s chest.

 

“You’ll always be my spiderbaby.”

 

Peter closed his eyes as they took flight. He was proud to say he only whimpered a little when they removed the knife and stitched up his shoulder. Having Tony nearby definitely helped, though, like it always did, and he latched onto the man as soon as the doctors were finished. The drugs also helped a lot.

 

“Wanna tell me why you ran off in the middle of a party to go be Spider-Man and didn’t tell anyone,” Tony asked. He had crawled into bed with Peter so the kid could lay his head on Tony’s chest. Tony ran his hand through Peter’s hair to help the kid relax.

 

“Oh, uh, you know. Spider-Man was needed?”

 

“Try again.”

 

Peter got quiet and he stared at the arc reactor’s faint light shining through Tony’s shirt.

 

“Peter,” Tony asked with concern and tilted his son’s chin up to look him in the eyes. Tony’s brows furrowed when he saw that Peter’s eyes were watery with unshed tears. “What’s going on, kiddo?”

 

Peter huffed and buried his face in Tony’s neck. “‘S stupid,” he mumbled.

 

“It’s not if it’s got you this upset, or drove you to leave without telling anyone. You can tell me; I’ve gotten better at these emotional talks. I won’t break out in hives anymore. I promise.”

 

Peter gave him a watery chuckled. “It’s really stupid, though.”

 

“Let me be the judge of that.”

 

“Tony,” Peter whined.

 

“About that. My name’s Dad.”

 

Peter huffed and tried to bury his face again, but Tony pushed him back gently.

 

“I think I understand now. Is it-”

 

“The baby,” Peter answered quietly. “When she gets here, you won’t need me anymore. Y-you’ll have a real kid of your own.”

 

Tony blinked in surprise. “What are you, my fake kid? My imaginary kid?”

 

“I-I-I don’t know! But I-”

 

“Peter, look at me.” A pair of sad brown eyes looked up at him and Tony gently wiped away a few stray tears. “You _are_ my kid. My very real, very grounded, kid. My _first_ kid.”

 

“But the baby-”

 

“The baby is our second born which we are delighted to have. She is not replacing you.”

 

“But...she’s...y’know... _actually, biologically_ yours.”

 

“You’re not picking up what I’m laying down, Pete. That doesn’t matter to us. You, Peter Benjamin _Stark_ , are our son, our firstborn, heir to Stark Industries. Nothing will change that. Not even a biological child.”

 

“Y-you said,” Peter hiccupped. “You said you wanted a boy to name him Tony Jr. I-I thought…”

 

“Oh, _that_? That was to mess with Pepper! I would never want a kid to be named after me, to end up like me. That’s one of the things I love about you, Peter. While I’m sad that I never got to see you as a tiny baby spiderling, you were raised by some really great people. They taught you to be good and selfless, things I could never teach you.”

 

“That’s not true. You’ve been a great Dad.”

 

“Am I back to being Dad now? Do we have an understanding?”

 

Peter tucked his head under Tony’s chin and sighed. “Yeah, Dad, we do.”

 

Tony dropped a kiss to the kid’s messy curls. “Good.”

 

“I’m sorry I ran off,” Peter said quietly.

 

“You’re still grounded. For a month.”

 

Peter groaned.

 

“And when the baby arrives, you get extra dirty diaper duties.”

 

“Ugh! Dad!”

 

Tony chuckled and Peter felt the vibrations deep in his bones.

 

_This is what home feels like._

 

“Go to sleep, my spiderbaby son.”

 

For once, Peter didn’t argue about being called baby.


	3. Trope: "I thought I lost you."

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peter sees Iron Man take a nasty fall on the national news. 
> 
> OR
> 
> The one where Peter yells at Tony.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one doesn't really fit in the same story arc as the other two chapters in this collection. It briefly mentions the snap but doesn't go into any details. Not really Endgame spoilers, but is post-Endgame where everyone is happy and nothing is wrong. 
> 
> Also, in this one, Peter and Ned are off at MIT. They live in an apartment that Tony bought for Peter and had equipped with all things Stark Tech, including Karen and a hidden quinjet launch pad (that's a different story for a different collection).

 

“Hey, Ned! I'm home,” Peter called as he dropped his bag by the front door of their apartment. 

 

“In here,” Ned yelled from the living room. “Hey man! Wow. You look like crap. I mean that in the nicest way possible.” 

 

Peter grimaced. “Gee. Thanks,” he deadpanned. 

 

“Seriously, dude. You still not sleeping?” 

 

Peter ran a hand over his face, then popped the top on yet another soda, his fourth for the day. “It's fine.” 

 

“It is  _ not  _ **_fine_ ** , Peter!” 

 

Peter rolled his eyes as he plopped down on the couch and threw his feet up on the coffee table. 

 

“I’m serious, dude. Even Spider-Man needs to sleep sometime.” 

 

“It’s not Spider-Man. Spider-Man is fine,” Peter said quickly before immediately clamping his mouth shut. 

 

Ned gave him a hard, steely glare. Then his eyes softened as he sighed. “I know, dude. It’s T-” 

 

“Don’t,” Peter nearly shouted. 

 

“No, dude! Look! It’s  _ Tony _ !” Ned was pointing at the tv where a news reporter was commenting on a massive explosion in downtown New York City. 

 

Peter watched in horror as the camera zoomed in on a small red and gold suit.

 

_ “It appears that Iron Man, who was fighting the flying robot, is now plummeting to the ground! Why isn’t he activating the suit? Something must be wrong!”  _

 

Peter’s heart beat in his mouth and he stopped breathing as they watched the Iron Man suit crash to the ground. 

 

“Karen,” Peter screamed, near hysterics. “Ready the quinjet!” He jumped over the back of the couch and headed for the lower landing pad, Ned not far behind. 

 

“The quinjet is fueled and ready to go, Peter. Where should I chart a course?” 

 

“The compound! They’ll take him to the compound!” Peter and Ned thundered into the jet and the door closed behind them. 

 

“The course is set. You will arrive at the compound in one hour,” Karen told them as they quickly took a seat. 

 

“Ugh! Can’t you go any fast? Dad’s in trouble!” 

 

“I’m pushing the engines as hard as I can, Peter. There’s also a bit of bad weather near Ithaca.” 

 

Peter sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “Fine. Just get us there as fast as you can.” 

 

“He’s gonna be ok, man. He’s survived worse, right? Aliens invading, Thor’s crazy brother, the Hulk, and that purple guy! He’s Iron Man; he’ll be ok,” Ned said, hoping to calm Peter’s nerves. 

 

“Yeah,” Peter answered distractedly. Ned could tell Peter didn’t believe him because the latter paced the whole way to the compound. And drank a fifth soda. 

 

By the time they landed at the compound, Peter was shaking from anxiety and adrenaline. He raced out of the jet and down to the medbay floor. Ned was quickly forgotten and left to follow if he so chose. Once in the medbay, Peter frantically tried to find Tony or someone who could tell him where Tony was. 

 

“Where is he,” Peter demanded and startled a young nurse. 

 

“I...what? Mr. Stark, are you alright?” 

 

“Tony! Where’s my Dad?! I saw him...h-he fell...hurt...where...Dad,” he gasped. Peter’s legs seemed to turn to jelly as his brain ran circles around him. He grabbed onto the unsuspecting nurse and nearly brought her down with him. 

 

“Can I get some help out here,” she shouted. “I’ve got a code orange!” 

 

Peter’s vision swam as he felt someone lay him flat on the ground. He distantly heard footsteps and felt a needle in his arm before everything went black. 

 

He awoke to a raging headache. He couldn’t open his eyes right away and strained to hear something that at least would tell him where he was. 

 

“He hasn’t been sleeping,” came a whisper. That was Ned’s voice. “I think this is the longest he’s slept in about a month.” 

 

Someone else sighed. “Nightmares,” came the question. 

 

“Yeah, I think so, but he doesn’t talk about them.”  

 

“You could’ve called me,” admonished the familiar voice. 

 

_ Why was that voice so familiar? _ It left him feeling warm and safe. He knew it meant home. Peter’s eyes flew open in realization. 

 

“Dad,” he croaked. 

 

Tony and Ned rushed to his side. 

 

“Hey, kiddo. Welcome back.” 

 

“Dad,” he gasped again.    
  


Tony reached out a hand and gently ran his fingers through Peter’s hair. “Yeah, I’m here, Pete. How’re you feeling? You ok?” 

 

Peter looked up at him, brows furrowed in confusion. “Y-you...you fell from the sky.” 

 

“What,” Tony asked. Now it was his turn to be confused. 

 

Peter groggily tried to sit up. “Fell from the sky,” he mumbled. The longer stared at his Dad, the faster it all came back to him. 

 

“W-what are you doing up? You shouldn’t be up! You fell from the sky! Dad!! Are  _ you _ ok?” 

 

“Peter, what are you talking about?” 

 

“On the news! I saw it! You fell from the damn sky! I th...I thought you were... **_You fell out of the sky!!_ ** ” 

 

“Peter, I wasn’t in that suit. I didn’t fall from the sky. I’m fine. I’m right here. See?” Tony lifted one of Peter’s hands and pressed it against his chest. Peter felt his Dad’s heartbeat and paused for a moment. 

 

“But...the news...I saw…” 

 

“Is that why you came home in a rush? You thought I was hurt?” 

 

“Of course, I thought you were hurt!  **_YOU FELL OUT OF THE DAMN SKY!_ **  What am I supposed to think?” 

 

Tony’s mouth gaped open. Peter had never shouted at him like that before. 

 

Peter sat up and ripped the monitors off. 

 

“Woah. Let’s take it easy, Pete. You blacked out. You should probably stay in bed for a little while longer,” Tony tried to reason. 

 

“No! I’m fine!” Peter shoved Tony’s hands away roughly, not thinking to reign in his strength. Once he was free of all the wires, he glared up at his Dad. 

 

“Peter, I know you’re upset, but I’m fine. See?” Tony tried again to console his son, but to no avail. 

 

Peter shoved his Dad in the chest  _ hard _ . Hard enough for the man to stumble backward with a wince. 

 

“I thought...you...I watched you... _ argh! _ ” Peter shoved again, this time leaving a bruise on Tony’s chest. “Why didn’t you call me,” Peter bellowed. “A mission update would’ve been nice! Or just a text that you were on a mission in the first place!” 

 

“Pete, calm down, son. We can talk about this rationally.” 

 

Peter didn’t shove again. This time, he reared his fist back but someone grabbed his wrist. Peter turned a furious stare over his shoulder. Captain America had his arms locked in place. 

 

“Peter,” he admonished. “You need to calm down, son. You’re hurting your Dad.” 

 

Peter shouted in rage and tried to force himself out of Steve’s grip. Steve, who was well acquainted with Peter’s full strength, didn’t let go. Peter gave up on fighting Steve and turned his attention back to his Dad, who was rubbing a sore spot on his chest. 

 

“You  _ asshole _ ,” Peter spat. Tears began to leak from his eyes. “You could’ve...I thought... _ you fell out of the  _ **_sky_ ** !” A sob escaped his lips and he hung limply in Steve’s grip. “I thought you were d-dead,” he mumbled through his tears. “I thought you were g-gone.” 

 

Steve gently lowered his nephew so Peter could kneel and quietly left to give the two some privacy, taking a shaken Ned with him. Tony was at the kid’s side in an instant, his arms around his son, his fingers running through brown locks. Peter buried his face in Tony’s chest and sobbed. 

 

“Shh. Bambi, I’m right here,” Tony whispered in his ear. “Breathe, Pete. Listen to my heartbeat.” 

 

Peter turned his head to the side to better hear Tony’s heartbeat, to assure himself that the man was, indeed, perfectly fine. They sat on the floor of the medbay for quite some time, until Peter’s sobs became sniffles and his breathing returned to normal. Peter, ear still over Tony’s heart, turned his head up to look at his Dad. 

 

“Hey, there’s Bambi,” Tony said with a smile.

 

“I thought I’d lost you,” Peter whispered, voice cracking from all the screaming he’d done earlier. 

 

“I’m not going anywhere, kiddo. Not anytime soon.” 

 

Peter buried his face in his Dad’s collar bone. 

 

“I’ve got too much to live for right here,” Tony whispered in his ear. Two strong arms were flung around Tony’s middle. He grunted in surprise. “Oof! Ok, lighten up a little, Pete. I’m gonna lose circulation soon.” 

 

Peter relaxed his grip and sat back on his feet looking all the world like a fifteen-year-old kid again. Out of the corner of his eye, Peter caught his Dad rub a hand over his chest. Peter winced with guilt. 

 

“Shit, Dad, I...I didn’t mean...I was just scared! Are you ok?” 

 

“Fine, Pete. Just a little sore. And, language,” the man said with mock sternness. 

 

Peter blushed and gave him a small smile. He scrubbed at his eyes with a balled fist and sniffed again. 

 

“Better,” Tony asked. 

 

Peter nodded. 

 

“Better enough to tell me about all these sleepless nights you’ve been having?” 

 

Peter hung his head, too ashamed to admit yet another weakness in front of his hero. 

 

“From what I’ve heard, it’s last almost a month. That’s a month too long in my book. Come on, Bambi. What’s got you up all night?”

 

Peter moved to sit on his butt and lean against the wall, arms wrapped around his knees. Tony leaned against the wall next to him and waited expectantly. 

 

“Guess this is a job for the big guns,” Tony announced as he pulled his phone from his pocket. 

 

Peter looked up, eyes wide in trepidation. “Big guns? What big guns?” He saw the contact on his Dad’s screen and a thumb hover over the green call button. Pepper. 

 

_ Mom.  _

 

“No,” Peter shouted and wrenched the phone from his Dad’s hand. “You’re not bringing her into this! That’s cheating!” 

 

“Then talk to me, Pete! Please, I’m begging you! I’m a mechanic; I fix things for a living. But I can’t fix it if you don’t tell me what’s wrong.” Tony looked at his son with longing, imploring him and every deity in the universe for Peter to open up. Talking always helped, and he was always able to sleep afterward. It must’ve been something awful for Peter to keep it from him for a month!

 

“I…,” came the soft cries, fresh tears falling down red cheeks. “I can’t sleep...when I do, I dream.” 

 

_ Nightmares. Of course, _ thought Tony.  _ It’s always nightmares. _

 

“What do you dream about?” 

 

He was met with silence for a long time. Peter stared at his hands and the floor and his feet, anywhere but at his Dad. Tony stared at Peter for as long as it took. 

 

“You,” Peter whispered. “You dying. You getting hurt. You coming back from Siberia all beat to hell and back. You on that damned alien planet with that damned purple  guy.” A sob ripped from his throat and he tumbled sideways onto Tony’s shoulder. 

 

Tony draped an arm around the kid’s shoulder and gently pushed Peter’s head down on his chest again. He threaded his fingers through Peter’s tousled curls. 

 

“I dream about those things, too,” he admitted to the pristine white floor. Peter’s sobs quieted a little. 

 

“I dream about you getting hurt. You following me into damn space of all places. You... _ dying _ .” Tony clamped a hand over his mouth to push down a wave of his own tears as nightmares mixed with memories flooded the forefront of his mind. “Sometimes...sometimes I sit up at night, in your room, and remember what it was like when you weren’t gone off to college, but when you were just... _ gone _ .” 

 

Peter twisted in his Dad’s arms and looked up at him. “But I came back. I’m right here.” He grabbed Tony’s hand and placed it over his chest so his Dad could feel his heartbeat. 

 

“And so am I,” Tony responded and placed one of Peter’s hands over his heart, too. He watched as Peter’s eyes closed, as the kid focused on the steady thrum of his heart beating. When Peter’s breathing began to even out, Tony gently shook his shoulder. 

 

“Oh no you don’t, kid. You aren’t falling asleep on me 80 floors from the penthouse. You’re not a tiny fifteen-year-old spiderbaby anymore; I’m too old to carry you to bed.” 

 

But Peter was out like a light, lost in a well-deserved happy dreamland. Tony huffed and maneuvered the kid so he could get his phone back. He swiped through his contacts until he found the one he was looking for (Spangles the Capsicle) and pressed the call button. 

 

“Tony? Everything alright?”

 

“Yeah. The kid fell asleep on me and I can’t carry him up 80 floors to the penthouse. Ya mind helping me out?” 

 

Steve chuckled. “Not at all. I’ll be down in a minute.” 

 

The super soldier arrived and hefted Peter into his arms like he weighed as little as a cloud. Peter looked so young with his face relaxed in deep sleep, his head propped up on Steve’s shoulder. Even the kid’s tongue was stuck out just a bit. 

 

Tony was brought back to reality as the elevator dinged their arrival and he led the way to Peter’s room. Ned was already asleep on the couch, drool on his chin, StarkPad propped up on his chest. Tony laid the StarkPad on Peter’s desk as Steve laid Peter in the bed. He nodded his thanks to his friend as Steve turned to leave. 

 

Tony gently tucked the blanket around Peter’s shoulders and brushed the loose curls out of his face. Peter huffed and rolled into the affectionate touch. 

 

“I’m not going anywhere, kiddo,” he whispered and sealed his promise with a light kiss to his son’s temple. With one last glance at the sleeping pair, Tony quietly closed the door and left for his own rest in his own bed. 

  
_ Everyone is safe. It was a good day. It was a good day because everyone is safe _ , he thought. 

**Author's Note:**

> Comments and constructive criticism is always welcome! 
> 
> Look me up on tumblr @melodicrunes.


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